Sensory, physicochemical and antioxidant properties coupled with chemometric analysis of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe var. Bentong) enriched Apis cerana honey

Abstract

A multifloral honey produced by Apis cerana was enriched with different concentrations of locally grown Bentong ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe var. Bentong) extract. The sensory qualities, physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the ginger enriched honeys were analyzed. Results demonstrated that the addition of ginger extract intensified the sensorial perception of woody, fresh, astringency, bitterness, persistence, and aftertaste attributes, but weakened sweetness, floral-fruity, and warm attributes, also with lower viscosity and adhesiveness compared to the original honey. It also increased the color intensity (272–295 mAU), water content (20–21%), water activity (0.538–0.551), pH (4.84–4.87), electrical conductivity (445–534 μS/cm), and reducing sugar content (60–63%), but decreased the total soluble solid (81–79 °Brix) of the honey. Besides, it contributed to two-fold increment of total phenolic content (37–46 mg GAE/kg) and led to significant elevation of iron chelating activity (24–25%), superoxide anion (83–86%) and hydroxyl (71–73%) radical scavenging activities. Furthermore, strong relationships among physicochemical parameters and antioxidant properties were revealed. Principal component analysis displayed honey enriched with 18% (w/w) ginger extract as a prominent source of physicochemical, phenolic, and antioxidant components. Overall, enrichment of multifloral honey using Bentong ginger extract produces distinct sensory characteristics and enhances antioxidant properties with significant correlation to the physicochemical properties.